With his acclaimed Cremaster Cycle and 2005 feature Drawing Restraint 9, avant-garde artist Matthew Barney established himself as a bold experimentalist who wasn't afraid to take a few risks for the sake of his art. Set into motion in the late '80s, Barney's Drawing Restraint series consists of works in which the artist attempts to create works while hindered by physical weights and barriers. The result, claims Barney are creations that are much more rewarding due to the difficulty it takes to
render them. With Drawing Restraint 9, the artist teamed with his wife, Björk, to tell the tale of a couple who boards a Japanese whaling ship to partake in a series of obscure rituals -- including a ceremony that took place in a tank filled with 45,000 pounds of petroleum jelly. For fans longing to see how the innovative artist achieves his unique vision, this documentary by filmmaker Alison Chernick mixes clips from Drawing Restraint 9 with interviews and footage of Barney playing high-school football to create a comprehensive look at her subject's entire career. Additional conversations with Guggenheim curator Nancy Spector, New York Times art critic Michael Kimmelman, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art chief curator Yuko Hasegawa, and more, this portrait of Barney transcends the trappings of your typical making-of documentary. Björk and Mayumi Miyata collaborate to create the musical score. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
More interesting is Chernick's concise survey of Barney's intriguing early work, including weird Vaseline-covered sculptures and footage of him trying to draw while under physical restraints such as a harness, etc.
Barney's art presents a cross between the creepiness of David Cronenberg and David Lynch and the grandiosity and business sense of George Lucas. Chernick's film unquestioningly admires it.
How it is that such a polarizing artist coule be the subject of such a tepid documentary is nearly as much of a mystery as the often convoluted allegory of Barney's art.
[T]his making-of look at Barney's bizarro film Drawing Restraint 9 feels far more like a DVD extra to that film than a standalone movie in its own right...
[Director Alison] Chernick misses the chance to follow in the footsteps of documentarian Thomas Riedelsheimer, whose essential artist-at-work films Touch The Sound and Rivers And Tides meditate on the ephemeral nature of the creative act.
Chernick may not answer every question about this beguiling and enigmatic film, but you wouldn't want it to: Mystery is an essential part of the Barney experience.
Another meandering making of/pseudo documentary. I can only hope that the CREMASTER CYCLE is much much better.
November 24, 2008
CJ C.
Fails to get you into Matthew Barney's mind, really; but it does show that Drawing Restraint 9 is very much an odd goose among the drawing restraint films (which, well, are otherwise understandable).
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